Tennessee Pest Management Information Network

This request was forward from Steve Toth at NCSU. Please note the following question from EPA regarding the use of mineral oil as an insecticide during storage of post-harvest grain (corn and sorghum).

Submit responses to the Southern Region IPM Center Information Request Monitoring System by Wednesday, July 5, 2006.

Thanks.

Steve Toth

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Does anyone use Mineral Oil as an insecticide during the storage of post-harvest grain (corn and sorghum)?

This is the only Tolerance Expression listed in 40 CFR for the Active Ingredient uses of Mineral Oil (that is the specific chemical listed at 40 CFR 180.149). I actually can not find any active ingredient Tolerance Expressions for the Aliphatic Petroleum Hydrocarbons.

The actual Food Use Tolerances for these spray oil products seem to be covered under the name "Petroleum oils", as listed as exempt from the requirement of a tolerance, at 40 CFR 180.905.

I have worked with folks in BEAD to try to find any labels with the post-harvest grain storage use, and we can not seem to find any such labels. Because we can not find any such labels, and if there seem to be no such usage now, I think EPA would move to revoke this tolerance expression; however, I thought I should ask you to check with your stakeholders, before we go public with a notice of revocation.

Thanks for your help, in advance.

Bentley Gregg
OPP/SRRD/PRB
703-308-8178

Please respond online using the following URL http://www.sripmc.org/requests/answer.cfm?RID=159